2 fishermen swept off the pier suffer severe injuries

Chris Pike, NSRI Port Alfred station commander, said: At 20h26, Thursday, 8 August, NSRI Port Alfred duty crew were activated following reports from a group of fishermen on East Pier, Kowie River Mouth, of a man emerging from the sea onto the beach at East Pier who claimed that he and his friend had been walking on West Pier when they were both swept into the water by waves.

The fishermen reported that the man that they had discovered washing up on the beach was suffering injuries and urgent assistance was required.

They reported that the casualty told them that after falling into the water at West Pier he was swept out through the river mouth and then waves swept him towards the beach where he managed to swim to reach East Pier Beach, while his friend, who had also been washed into the Kowie River, had disappeared.

NSRI crew, NSRI medics and NSRI rescue swimmers responded directly to both East and West Piers.

An NSRI Port Alfred rescue vehicle was dispatched while additional NSRI crew responded to West Pier to see if they could find the missing fisherman.

The NSRI Port Alfred rescue craft Lotto Challenger was launched and on arrival on the scene, along the pier line, along the Kowie River Mouth, the missing man was almost immediately located caught in amongst rocks along the West Pier's shoreline where waves were battering him in amongst, and up against the rocks and the pier wall.

Meanwhile at East Pier NSRI medics had initiated medical treatment to the man who had swum ashore, a 22 year old local man. He had sustained multiple injuries, fractures, dislocations, hypothermia and non-fatal drowning symptoms.

It was confirmed from that 22 year old that he had been washed out the river mouth before being able to use the wave sets to swim to shore where then the fishermen on East Pier assisted him on the beach while they raised the alarm, but that he had lost sight of his friend, aged 42, a local man (who had by now been found by the NSRI crew on the rescue craft below West Pier).

At West Pier the NSRI rescue craft reached within 10 meters of the casualty and held position by using full reverse thrust against the strong outgoing tide.

Despite waves breaking over the rescue vessel an NSRI rescue swimmer was deployed into the water where he secured the casualty, who was semi submerged in the water and trapped in amongst and up against rocks and the pier wall.

Despite challenging conditions with an outgoing tide, rip currents and waves battering them, our crew on the shore on the pier, lowered a rope line to the rescue swimmer and to the casualty, who was suffering multiple injuries, fractured bones, dislocations, hypothermia and non-fatal drowning symptoms.

The rescue swimmer secured the casualty into a life-jacket and with the rope line secured around him, and a rope recovery system rigged on the pier, he was initially assisted out from the entrapment (from in amongst the rocks) before being recovered onto the pier wall - using the rope and rig.

3 NSRI crew and a bystander (a local car guard) assisted to pull the casualty up onto the pier wall using the rope.

NSRI had by that stage activated an off-duty Gardmed private ambulance services paramedic who joined NSRI at West Pier where medical treatment on the patient had been commenced by NSRI medics - the patient, a 42 year old local male, was in a serious condition.

The NSRI rescue swimmer was recovered onto the rescue craft.

EC Government Health EMS ambulance services had been activated by NSRI and 2 EMS ambulances responded to both the East Pier and to the West Pier.

Following both patients being stabilised on the scene they were transported to hospital by EMS ambulances, both in serious but stable conditions.

NSRI has determined that after the patients were stabilised at a local hospital they have both been transported by ambulance to hospital in Gqeberha. They are recovering in hospital.

The swift response and effort to rescue the man that was trapped at East Pier is commended.